Ippodo Tea, Teramachi
A tea merchant with roots going back to the early 1700s, on Teramachi street near the Imperial Palace. The tearoom next to the shop serves matcha with a seasonal sweet, and staff can show you how to whisk your own.
Kyoto is the capital of matcha. The tea grown in nearby Uji has been famous for centuries, and the city is full of tea merchants, tearooms and cafés that take it very seriously. Here's where to drink matcha in Kyoto, what to order, how to skip the worst queues, and why a matcha tastes even better with someone new across the table.
A tea merchant with roots going back to the early 1700s, on Teramachi street near the Imperial Palace. The tearoom next to the shop serves matcha with a seasonal sweet, and staff can show you how to whisk your own.
An old Uji tea maker with a calm store and tearoom in central Kyoto. A good place to taste the difference between thin usucha and thick koicha, and to buy tins to take home.
A long-established Uji tea brand with its main shop on Shijo street in Gion. Known for matcha sweets and soft serve, and easy to combine with a walk through Gion.
A traditional sweet shop famous for kuzukiri, cool arrowroot noodles dipped in black sugar syrup. Order a matcha alongside for a very Kyoto afternoon.
Uji is about 20 to 30 minutes from Kyoto Station on the JR Nara Line, or by Keihan train from central Kyoto. An easy half-day trip.
A tea house founded in 1859, in an old merchant building near JR Uji Station. Famous for matcha parfaits and matcha jelly. If you can't make it to Uji, there's also a branch at Kyoto Station.
The street leading to Byodo-in temple, the one on the 10-yen coin, is lined with tea shops, matcha soft serve and roasting hojicha you can smell from the corner.
Old tea merchants by the Uji River, like Kanbayashi near Uji Bridge, sell tea and share the history of Uji tea. Sit by the river with a cup afterwards.
Thin matcha, whisked until frothy. This is what you get when you ask for "matcha" with a sweet. Light, grassy and a little bitter.
Thick matcha made with much more powder and less water. Rich and smooth, and usually only offered at tea specialists.
Layers of matcha ice cream, jelly, sweet beans, mochi and cream in a tall glass. Kyoto's most famous matcha dessert. One is plenty for two people.
Matcha with milk, hot or iced. The easiest start if you're new to matcha. See how to order matcha in Japan for the words to use.
Roasted green tea: brown, toasty and low in bitterness. Many Kyoto tea houses make hojicha lattes and sweets too.
A small Japanese sweet served before your matcha, so the sweetness balances the bitterness. Eat it first, then drink.
Matcha in Kyoto has always been about sitting down together. That's exactly what Buy Me a Matcha is built for: it's the only app made for meeting one new friend at a time over a matcha, in English. It's friends only, never dating, and free to download. Pick your nearest station, send a matcha to someone nearby, and if they send one back, choose a café and a time together. Women can choose to see only women, and only women see them. Buy Me a Matcha just opened in Kyoto and Osaka, and tourists can sign up too and add the day they leave. More in how to make friends in Kyoto.
If you'd like to understand the ceremony behind the bowl, many tea houses in Kyoto run short tea ceremony experiences in English, especially around Gion and Higashiyama. Read our tea ceremony guide to know what to expect, and our guide to matcha, hojicha and sencha for the differences. Coming from Osaka? Kyoto is about half an hour away: see things to do alone in Osaka.
Buy Me a Matcha is the only app made for meeting one new friend at a time over a matcha, in English. Just opened in Kyoto: free to download, friends only.
For a classic experience, try a historic tea shop with a tearoom like Ippodo or Marukyu Koyamaen. For matcha desserts, go to Gion or take a half-day trip to Uji, the home of matcha.
Yes. It's only 20 to 30 minutes from Kyoto by train, and the street to Byodo-in is full of tea shops, matcha sweets and old tea merchants.
Usucha is thin, frothy matcha and the usual choice. Koicha is thick, made with much more powder, and mostly served at tea specialists.
Go at opening time on a weekday. The famous parfait places get long lines on weekends from late morning.
Yes. Buy Me a Matcha is the app made for meeting one new friend at a time over a matcha, in English. It's friends only, free to download, and open in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo.
Yes. Choose Tourist when you sign up and add the day you leave.